Protect That Precious Rock!

Protect That Precious Rock! 

The Low-down on Ring Insurance

Just as Miranda mentioned the other day, engagement rings come in all colors and styles! Each one is uniquely special to the woman who receives it, and remains a treasured symbol of a couple’s love for many years after the initial proposal. So can you imagine how heart wrenching it would be to lose the ring presented to you by your special someone?

Engagement ring insurance is something that is often overlooked by brides & grooms, but is easily attainable for every couple. Here’s how to get your ring insured, so you can relax about the investment you made in your love and your future!

- First off, get your ring appraised. Ask any local jeweler for a document with a formal appraisal of the ring, and they will get it to you within a few days.

- Then, find out if your existing homeowners or rental insurance will cover your ring. It may be possible to add the ring to an already existing policy.

- If the ring can’t be added to a policy you already have, locate a separate insurance policy for it. Contact various jewelry insurance reps to get information on rates and coverage.

- Choose a deductible. This is where your insurance plan can be customized to fit your and your partner’s financial situation and the importance you place on insuring your ring.

- Take photos of the ring to keep with the documentation, one set for yourself, and the other to send in with your appraisal papers. They will return a policy to you that you can keep on record in any unfortunate event where the ring is lost or damaged.

As I said, ring insurance is often overlooked, but may be just the solution you and your partner are looking for. Choosing whether or not to insure your ring will be different personal decision for every couple, but it’s always nice to know you have the option of protecting something so special from theft, loss or damage!

-          Carina

Anyone Fancy a Bridal Shower?

Anyone Fancy a Bridal Shower?

Alternative Bridal Shower Ideas

So you’re throwing a bridal shower… Now what? Should you take the traditional route with classy invitations, tea cakes, and gifts from the registry? Or should you go over the top with a “Helen from Bridesmaids” Parisian themed shower? Lots of ladies are taking up the trend of throwing lingerie showers with sexy sultry themes and showering corsets, lacy panties, and racy nightgowns on the bride for her first few months of marriage and honeymoon of course! But there are lots of other ways to throw a shower that your bride will absolutely love and maybe even more than the traditional cookie-cutter parties!

“Bridal Bakery”

A Sugar Sweet Shower.

For the Martha Stewart Bride who can whip up a batch of chocolate chip cookies from scratch that taste like heaven or anyone who loves to bake- this shower is for you! Rather than spending the day gabbing and snacking, you ladies can spend the afternoon showering the bride with fun baking-related gifts and then baking all kinds of fun treats! Instead of purchasing food for the shower, the host will purchase the ingredients for the treats and drinks to make while baking! Also check out these cute ideas for decorating the shower- cupcake liner garland!





Gift Ideas: Guests will all bring a bakewear item for the bride… ideas to suggest would be a cake pop maker, electric hand mixer, decorating kits, aprons, etc.







Fun Drink Ideas: Bridesmaids could serve dessertinis while the ladies are baking to go along with the sweet theme of the shower! Chocolatinis, White Chocolate Raspberry, and there is even a recipe for a Puffs Marshmellow Martini… how cute!

Invitation Ideas: Recipe cards (ingredients substituted with shower details), invitations shaped like cupcakes, or even send out cake pops with invitation details attached! 

 “The Perfect Pair”

A Wine-O Shower

Have a merlot-minded bride on your hands? Spend the day tasting wine and drinking some too! You could decorate the shower like a Tuscan winery, a vineyard gardens, or like a Napa Valley cast room. Why not have each guest bring the bride a bottle of wine to stock her new home? As the host, decorate with vines and rustic wood, have cheeses, chocolates, and crackers to go with your liquid delights… as well as plenty of glassware to go around for the tasting. This is such a fun and classy alternative to the traditional shower!

Gift Ideas: Each guest could bring a bottle of wine to help the bride start her wine cellar collection or the ladies could bring wine accessories as gifts. Accessory ideas: wine aerator, wine openers, cute wine charms, Bordeaux glasses, white wine glasses, champagne flutes, wine racks (there are lots of neat wall mounted racks and decorative stands out there!)… the guests could even all chip in to purchase a wine cooler for the bride!

Another cute idea is a wine basket with a bottle for each important night in the bride’s upcoming weeks: a bottle of champagne for the wedding night, a nice red for the first night of the honeymoon, a Prosecco for an afternoon on the beach while they watch the sunset, one for their first anniversary… with tags on each to let them know which one to drink!

Invitation Ideas: Attach a wine cork to the invitations as a cute additional decoration, shape the invites in the form of wine bottles, send an empty wine bottle and tell the guests to bring it back as a gift for the bride (They can paint it, chalkboard it, put flowers in it, message in a bottle, etc.)

“Drink and Be Married”

Champagne Showers

We’ve all heard of “stock the bar” parties or showers where guests bring bottles of the bride’s favorite liquor to stock the bar in her and her groom’s new home. Obviously not a shower for every bride, but if your lady of honor was a party girl in college or still enjoys her afternoon margaritas- why not throw her a bridal cocktail party (literally)!



Have the guests wear little black dresses, serve specialty cocktails, stock up her bar, and have a fun afternoon showering her with gifts and maybe even some champagne! You could hire a bartender to serve up the fancy drinks or make them yourselves for an entertaining afternoon of cocktail party fun. Whoever throws the shower will be in charge of getting the ingredients for 3 or 4 specialty drinks, ensuring the proper glassware is in order (you can always rent it if you do not have it yourself), decorating like a swanky lounge, and serving up a few snacks so the girls don’t get too out of hand! A fun snack idea would be candy served in martini glasses or cute cocktail inspired cupcakes!

Gift Ideas: Similar to our baking shower… start a registry! The guests can choose from martini glasses, margarita glasses, cocktail shaker sets, blenders, and other specialty drink-making goodies. Each guest bringing a bottle of liquor to stock the bar is a necessity- but you could also have everyone come together to make a gift basket like the wine-o shower! A bottle of vodka for a night on the town, a bottle of whiskey for when she’s feeling frisky, Grey Goose to get her feeling loose- anything that’s cute and fits her personality! Don’t forget about the groom and what he likes too!

Invitations: Mini Bottles! Warning: Some states have particular laws about mailing alcohol- so be sure to look this up before you go mailing mini bottles of Little Black Dress Vodka! Try creating drink recipes, but replace the ingredients with party details. Cut out invitations shaped like martini glasses or margarita glasses with salt on the rim (gluing white glitter to the rim of the invitation will give the illusion of salt). 1oz Bride to Be (insert Bride name here), dash of your favorite alcoholic gift, garnish with your favorite cocktail dress, and arrive at time and location to Drink and Be Married! Make it your own and have fun with the details.

“Tea Party”

A classic and traditional shower idea- the tea party. Biscuits and English tea with beautiful china in the garden… what could be classier? Have the ladies bring a gift of their choosing and fit the invitations to the event- perhaps lace or floral patterns to go with the dainty theme.

“Day at the Spa”

Everyone loves a little pampering, especially a stressed out bride-to-be! Throw her an indoor spa day (or even a garden spa day with the smell of fresh roses and sound of water running to calm her nerves). The guests can bring spa gifts such as treatments, specialty oils, or even gift certificates for massages, manicures, etc. and the host will supply relaxing candles, music, light snacks, and hire a masseuse for the day to treat the ladies. If that is out of the budget- the host could purchase products at a local spa or Bath and Body Works type locale and the ladies can treat each other to massages, manicures, and treatments while chatting, listening to music, and sipping on refreshing cucumber Skinny Girl martinis.

                  




The options for throwing a fancy bridal shower are honestly limitless! The homebody bride may love a “Blockbuster Shower” where you all stay in, watch movies, and eat movie theater style popcorn. You could throw a pool party shower with strawberry daiquiris, bikinis as gifts from each guest for the bride to wear on her honeymoon, and fun pool games. Or even try a “Recipe Shower” where each guest submits a recipe with her RSVP and the host creates a cookbook for the bride-to-be as a gift from all of her friends with their secret family recipes. Get creative and don’t forget about your bride’s personality. And with so many fun options… who is to say she can’t have more than one shower?

XOXO,

Audrey

Everything Rose Gold!

Everything Rose Gold!

One of the biggest trends hitting the East Coast in 2013 is Rose Gold. Rose gold, also known as pink gold, is a colored gold containing copper and yellow gold. This new trend puts a real twist on your traditional white gold or platinum wedding ring. Because rose gold is a mixture of gold and copper, engagement rings and wedding rings tend to be less expensive which is attractive to brides on a budget. If we want to get technical, the process of creating this delicate material is called alloying, so rose gold is an alloy of gold.



Rose gold rings can have a vintage or rustic look, which is very “in” right now. Often, brides choose either a white, or yellow gold ring and they later find out that it clashes with their jewelry collection. However, the color of rose gold can easily be paired with silver, yellow gold, or white gold. This new color is not only trending as the romantic, new wedding ring, but it has also started to become a part of an entire wedding theme. Brides are using this hue as a color for bridesmaids dresses, floral arrangements, reception décor, etc. It’s just irresistible!

Celebrities such as Blake Lively, Miley Cyrus, and LeAnn Rimes have been spotted with rose gold engagement rings. Well-known brands such as Marc Jacobs and Michael Kors have recently started highlighting new collections of rose gold jewelry and watches. But it’s not just the big names where you can find rose gold pieces. Almost every jewelry distributor is starting to carry rose gold jewelry and if they don’t already, they probably will be by the end of the year if they’re smart!



~Miranda

Looking for Wedding Songs?

Looking for wedding songs? 

Choose country music!!

In my opinion, some of the most romantic songs are sung by country artists. If you are a fan of country music there are so many great songs to choose from for your wedding. In country music you can find songs that are perfect for the couple`s first dance, the father daughter dance, and even a mother and daughter song. Artists such as Brad Paisley, Tim McGraw, Kenny Chesney, and Blake Shelton, have lucky women in their lives that are perhaps the inspiration for their lyrics. Recently at a Brad Paisley concert in Hartford, Brad announced to the crowd that he was taking out his cell phone to record him preforming ‘She`s Everything’ to send to his wife. This is why us girls love these country men!! Take a look at some of the top romantic country songs I have picked out and some great songs for mothers and fathers, and the bride!!

From Brad Paisley:’ Then’,’ She`s Everything’,’ Little Moments’

From Tim McGraw:’ My Little Girl’, ‘It`s Your Love’ (With Faith Hill), ‘My Best Friend’

From Kenny Chesney: ‘You Had Me from Hello’, ‘You Save Me’, ‘Me and You’

From Carrie Underwood: ‘Mama`s Song’

From Heartland: ‘I Loved Her First’

From Rascal Flatts: ‘Bless the Broken Road’, ‘Here’

From Blake Shelton: ‘God Gave Me You’

These are just a few great country songs for your wedding!! If you Google “Country Wedding Songs” an expansive list will pop up with great choices and great videos! I hope this gave you some good song ideas!!

xox

Melanie

Using Chalkboards To Send Messages

Using Chalkboards To Send Messages

Forming a special way for guests to either write their names or share a personal message is important at your wedding. You want to be able to remember who showed up, the memories, and their blessing. One brilliant idea I came across was easy, inexpensive, and cute.

With the chalkboard guests can feel free to write what they want ranging from funny to serious advice, their faces appear in the picture to remind the couple of who showed up, and instead of a plain guest book the pictures can be placed in a scrapbook or album. Although brides and planners are getting more unique with weddings, this is just one way to get away from the normal guest book. Currently a trend is setting where guests are being more attention in the wedding by being able to contribute fun and memorable moments.

Xoxo
Michelle

Can a Bridal Party be Too Big?

Can a Bridal Party be Too Big?

Bridesmaids: Is there such things as too large of a Bridal Party?

Bridal parties come in all shapes and sizes from small too big. I know that brides want to try and include all of the special people in their lives but should people put a cap on how many people they should include? Here are a few things to keep in mind when deciding on your special number.

Do their have to be the same number of groomsmen as bridesmaids? It used to be tradition to have an equal number of people on both sides of the aisle but that is no longer a requirement. If the bridesmaids outnumber the groomsmen have some of the bridesmaids walk down together instead of with a groomsman. Don’t feel like you have to cut people out if your fiancé does not have the same number.

Choose your bridal party for you, not for others. Try not to let others convince you that certain people have to participate in your bridal party. However if someone has to participate in the wedding  and you already have enough (what you think is enough) bridesmaids have them read a special poem or sing a song at during the ceremony. That way they can still participate without having to be in the actual bridal party. This is a great compromise.

The more people you have, the more opinions that will want to be heard. If you have a bridal party of 12 that’s 12 people’s thoughts and opinions they will have on the dress, the hair, and other aspects of their appearance. If this could be an issue for you then that could determine how many people you include in the wedding party.

It is ok to say no to some people. Don’t worry about hurting people’s feelings of they are not included. If they are really your friends (or family members) then they will understand why they could not participate. Remember that this is your day and you can limit or expand to as many people you want in your party but the decisions are yours and your fiancés.


Kathryn Heyder

Explaining Tradition: Something Old, Something new...

Explaining Tradition: Something Old, Something new... 

What to do with what we do!

We've all heard the saying “something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue” but what does it mean and how are current brides still adhering to this tradition? It stems from an old English rhyme and refers to the four things a bride carries with her to bestow good luck on her wedding day. Here are examples of things you could use for each.

Something Old

Something old is symbolic for continuity. It represents the link between the bride, her family and their past. You can symbolize this with a number of items:

– An old pair of shoes
– Childhood pillow for the ring bearer
– Vintage purse to match your gown
– Mother/Grandmother's veil or other article of clothing from their wedding
– Have the wedding at a historic location
– Wear a piece of heirloom jewelry
– Use your parent's cake topper
– Family rosary for the ceremony

Something old can also be a great way to remember a family member that has passed and cannot attend the wedding. You can remember them by wearing an old locket with their picture inside or attach it to your bouquet.


Something New

Something new presages the future success of the bride in her married life. It symbolizes the optimism of their future together. Anything purchased for the wedding could be used to represent “new” but here are some specific ideas:

– A new pair of shoes
– New lipstick
– New charm for a charm bracelet
– New lingerie
– A new piece of jewelry
– A key to your new home in your purse
– A list of special wishes in your purse 

Something Borrowed

Something borrowed represents something valuable to a family member, friend or acquaintance to carry with you on your special day. Something old and something borrowed can sometimes be the same thing. Here are some thoughts:

– Mother or Bridesmaid's jewelry
– Flowers from a loved one's garden
– Your mother's veil, gloves or other accessory
– Your father's handkerchief
– A wedding reading from someone else's wedding


Something Blue

Something blue stands for purity, fidelity and the sacred love between the Bride and Groom. The options for incorporating something blue into your wedding motif are endless:

– Blue garter belt
– Blue manicure
– Blue jewelry
– Blue flowers in the bouquet
– Wedding date stitched in the hem of the dress in blue thread
– Blue shoes
– Blue in your color palette
– Bridesmaid dresses



This loving tradition is this icing on the wedding cake. Its your opportunity to add your own special creativity, style and personality to your wedding day. Why not wear a vintage pair of shoes, break out that new lingerie, borrow your mother's opal pearls and paint your nail's midnight blue? See if the legends true.

xoxo

Chelsea

Should We Break Tradition?

Should We Break Tradition?

Breaking Tradition: Seeing Each Other Before the Ceremony

We all know that traditionally, brides and grooms do not see each other on the day of the wedding until the moment when the bride begins her walk down the aisle. Some believe it’s bad luck for a couple to see each other before their ceremony. This superstition is actually rooted in the historic practices of arranged marriages – keeping the couple apart was a tactic to keep the groom from changing his mind about the bride before he married her. Crazy, isn’t it? Even so, there is no right decision in this matter. Every bride will feel differently, and whatever you decide is perfect for you! But it’s never a bad thing to consider your options before making a decision. J

Here are some reasons FOR seeing each other before the ceremony:

1. You’ll still get the magical moment where the bride and groom lock eyes as she begins her walk towards him. Brides may be concerned about losing the ‘wow’ factor; but I assure you, it will be a huge moment - no matter what. You’re about to get married! The emotion and intensity of the moment will not be lost if you see each other before the ceremony.



2. The few hours before the wedding is a time of many things happening at once – basically, chaos. Taking a few moments alone with your soon-to-be- hubby will give you a chance to relax and enjoy the day, and allow all the other little details to work themselves out (without you).



3. It also gives you a chance to have a moment alone with your significant other. When you walk down the aisle, you won’t be able to talk, kiss, touch, laugh or cry – but if you take a moment before hand, you can have a romantic moment to enjoy the enormity of the day! You won’t have to hold anything back, and the moment usually makes for some very cute pictures. Couples often note that they don’t have much time to talk while busy with guests during the celebration, so taking a moment will give you a chance to reconnect with the real meaning of the day.



4. Photos usually take a significant amount of time, and often leave wedding guests waiting anxiously at the reception for the wedding party to arrive. If you schedule time before your ceremony for photos, chances are you will have more time to use different locations and enjoy the photo shoot, because you won’t be stressing about getting back to your guests. That way, you can get to the party sooner after the ceremony – and who doesn’t want that?!

See? There are some pretty good reasons to break tradition, at least in this sense.

What do you think of couples seeing each other before the ceremony? Completely crazy, or something to consider?

-          Carina      

Personalizing Your Special Day

“Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something YOU”

Personalizing Your Special Day

With so many details going into the “Wedding Day” procedures and the public eye watching from all around, how can a modern bride tweak traditions and play with the necessary details in order to make her special day extraordinary and unique? No one wants to hear their guests chatting by the dessert table saying, “Oh, I’ve seen this display before” or “Well, Jamie had that cake at her wedding.” NO WAY! Each bride deserves to have her own personalized and unique details that give her wedding an extra sparkle and wow factor for everyone in attendance.

Here are some ideas for personalizing Your wedding…

The Bridal Party!

1. Personal Notes: An emerging trend on social media websites such as Pinterest and various bridal magazines is brides writing a personal and heartfelt note to her bridesmaids on the bottom of their shoes. This is a way for them to not only feel more included in the process, but to provide a unique touch straight from the bride… They will also have one more keepsake from the day!

2. Monogrammed Necklaces: Something brides struggle with is the jewelry or lack of jewelry that their bridal party will wear… so why not give them a monogrammed necklace as a bridal party gift AND a way to set them apart from other bridesmaids! (You could also get one for yourself with you new initials to wear at the reception.) 

3. Bridesmaid Garters! Check out this fun and personalized idea for your bridal party- most brides wear the traditional garter, but what about the bride’s maids? But with a fun and unique twist added on, the bride can personalize this fun detail by giving each bridesmaid a mini bottle of her favorite alcohol (for when the day gets extra stressful).

Table Numbers

1. As the Years Go By… Make each table number a year and pair it with a picture of the bride and groom in that year! Or if you have a smaller wedding (less tables) you could stick with the 1, 2, 3- and have a picture of the bride and groom at that age. No worries that the mister and misses to be didn’t know each other at age 3: just resize the photographs on the computer and print them out together.

2. I remember when- Associate each table number with a memory about the bride and groom or some significant “number-related” fact about them. 5: A day in May that we met (as seen in the example to the right). 10: Day in September that Joey proposed to Samantha. 25: Number of months we dated. Make it fun, sweet, and cute so everyone will have a fun surprise and unique personal touch when arriving to their table! 

3. Memoire Folders: One bride told Bridal Guide of how she chose to make each table number a folder and on each table there were paper and pens for the guests to write the bride and groom a note to open on their anniversary. The table numbers correspond to their 1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd and so on anniversaries! So they will have “x” amount of folders to open depending on how many tables they have at their wedding- what a great idea! You could also have disposable cameras and develop each table’s photographs on that anniversary for a fun treat and memory of your special day.  (Idea from Bridalguide.com)

4. Street Signs: For a local wedding or a wedding in a big city, why not use street signs instead of table numbers? Each table is a well-known street and you could even give your guests a map to locate their table. For a bride and groom from the same hometown or well-seasoned travelers: what a special way to add a personal touch rather than sticking to the traditional number system!

Cake, Cake, Cake, Cake

Brides have found many ways to personalize their wedding through the centerpiece of the reception- the wedding cake! Putting your favorite poem or song lyric on the side of the cake is a unique way to put a personal touch on the reception or the “split personality” cake where the bride and groom’s personalities are represented by each side of the cake!

Another way to insert your personal touch is by an individual cake for the bride and the groom. Perhaps in addition to the main cake or instead! The bride’s cake can resemble her dress or represent one of her passions and the groom’s cake can resemble a tux or represent something that he loves to do! At my uncle and aunt’s wedding, my uncle actually had a cake modeled after a cigar box with luxury cigars in it as he is an avid cigar collector- it was so cute! 

Speaking of cute, check out these PERSONALIZED cake toppers for the really outgoing bride and groom!! Available for purchase at Etsy:

When thinking about how to make your wedding, reception, and ceremony extra special- there are thousands of different outlets and small details that you can choose to personalize. From personalized napkins, to monogrammed glassware, and individual cakes- the options are limitless. The question is which ones you want to choose to personalize and specialize your wedding in order to set apart your day from everyone else’s. Be sure not to choose TOO many as to not overwhelm your guests, but they will be sure to appreciate these small and special details. So make sure to include Something YOU when planning your special day!

Xoxo, Audrey

A Bag of Love

A Bag of Love 

Guest Welcome Bags and Gifts

Wedding guests can travel from all over for a couple’s special day.  A perfect way to show your guests a little love is to give them welcome bags when they arrive. Have the hotel where guests are staying hand the goodie bags out as guests check in! It is an easy and cute way to show that you appreciate your guests traveling for your wedding and that you are excited to share your special day with them. As an out of town guest myself to a wedding this spring, it was a wonderful surprise to have a bag filled with goodies after a long day of traveling. Bags with snacks help guests with late night cravings and provide a fun treat. You can include any items you would like in your guests bags.

A few Ideas:
• Snacks-packages of crackers, small candies, water bottles, gum
• A map of the area (list of things to do)
• A brief history of the place where the wedding is being held
• Suggestions of what there is to do
• Bride & Groom’s favorite spots
• Crosswords
• Disposable camera
• Insert of wedding festivities


Bags are not the only option to put your guests goodies in! You can use anything you want. Baskets or tote bags are a good idea and they hold a lot. Depending on your wedding theme you could use many different containers. Reusable bags are a great idea and can be used even after the wedding day is over to carry other things in.
   

 
 

Guest Bags are also great for younger guests. Filling bags with items like crayons, coloring books and bouncy balls provide entertainment for youngsters.


  
 


xoxo Samantha

Finding the Perfect Suit for Her

Finding the Perfect Suit for Her

Wedding Fashions for the Classiest Ladies

Photo Rights to www.equallywed.com

One of the biggest controversies in politics lately is whether or not to legalize gay marriage. States all over the country are supporting marriage equality by doing so.  As this continues, more and more lesbian couples are able to happily get married and have a wedding. There are many different scenarios you can expect while approaching a lesbian wedding. There are three possibilities: two brides, two “grooms”, or a bride and a “groom”. When looking for wedding attire it could be as simple are finding two bridal gowns or as difficult as finding two suits for women. According to the Gay Wedding Institute, “58% of lesbian brides have at least one partner in a suit or tuxedo.  Most have men’s suits altered for their female body or pay thousands for a custom piece. “

Photo Credit to www.people.com

Brides know exactly where to start their hunt for “the dress”, but what about women who want to shop for a tux for their special day? Lesbian “grooms” should not have to settle for wearing a men’s tux that does not fit correctly for the mere fact that it is the only kind available to them. Christina from East Side Bride said, “You're not going to be able to walk into the Men’s Warehouse and buy a suit off the rack. Because of the extra curves, the pants might fit but the jacket that goes with it may not. Also, the size pants that might fit your hips might be extra long in crotch, and the waist might need to be taken in.”

 Currently, there is a rapidly emerging market for customized women’s suits. The first company to enter this market was Fourteen. They started creating custom suits especially for lesbian weddings. They offer different styles and vest options as well. Fourteen’s custom suits have smaller armholes, shorter arm length, smaller torso measurements, and bust room is added where needed without sacrificing the style or design. Not only are these designs attracting lesbians who are about to say, “I do,” but they are also a big deal for prom season. Since teenagers are finally comfortable expressing their desire to be in same-sex relationships, there are in fact lesbian and gay couples going to high school proms together.

By : Miranda Weidemier